Anti-anthrax operation launched in Purwakarta
Anti-anthrax operation launched in Purwakarta
BOGOR (JP): With reports of anthrax infected cattle and
ostriches in Purwakarta, West Java, transporting livestock has
been banned on roads in and out of the area.
"The decision has been made to prevent the possibility of the
contagious disease spreading," Dean of the veterinarian school of
medicine at Bogor Agricultural Institute, Fachryan H. Pasaribu,
said on Thursday.
He said a team of experts has detected the anthrax bacteria
that has infected ostriches since Nov. 10 last year.
"We were the first to find out about it. We don't know why the
case had only recently made the news and shocked the public,"
Pasaribu said, adding that so far no fatalities from the disease
had been reported.
He also warned people who had eaten ostrich meat produced by
PT Cisada Kema Sari in Ciparungsari, Campaka district,
Purwakarta, to soon have a medical checkup.
"People must be certain that they are not infected by the
contagious bacteria," Pasaribu said.
Many anthrax-infected ostriches have been stolen by local
people. It is feared that there are infected people who are
afraid to come forward as they are involved in cattle thievery.
"Anthrax is very dangerous to humans because it attacks the
liver. So, whoever catches the disease must be treated soon," he
said, adding that anthrax is carried by the Bacillus anthracis
bacteria, the spores of which can survive for a maximum period of
100 years in the ground and can only be destroyed through
incineration.
Pasaribu was accompanied by a team of contagious disease
experts, namely I Wayan Teguh Wibawan, Hernomoadi Huminto,
Bambang Pontjo Priosoeryanto and Wahyuni.
"We received an ostrich carcass on November 10 last year and
through a thorough laboratory investigation we found it tested
positive for anthrax bacteria," Wayan said.
The government has exterminated more than 3,000 ostriches in a
bid to curb the spread of anthrax in Purwakarta.
Director general of animal husbandry Sofyan Sudrajat said on
Monday the extermination of the birds was a prompt and effective
move in combating the disease.
The disease was reported to have killed at least 300 birds at
an ostrich farm belonging to PT Cisada Kema Sari last December.
"In Purwakarta more than 180,000 livestock are threatened by
anthrax," Sofyan said. Other provinces liable to the disease
include East Nusa Tenggara, Papua, Sumatra, Lampung, Sulawesi,
Jambi and Central Java.
The government has vaccinated at least 50,000 livestock in
Purwakarta, some 90 kilometers east of Jakarta, since the
outbreak of the disease.
A Purwakarta resident reported suffered a bleeding ulcer, a
symptom of anthrax, after eating ostrich meat. (21/edt)